What is the Ganga Drainage System?

The Ganga Drainage System includes the river Ganga and its many tributaries. It is one of the iconic and largest river systems in the world, extending over India, Bangladesh, and the boundaries of Nepal. Ganga River drains into the Bay of Bengal through the Sundarban Delta.

Bhagirathi

The Bhaigirathi river covers a big part of the River Ganga. The best features of it are listed below:

In the 16th Century, when the Ganga river shifted its bed eastwards, Bhagirathi came into existence.
The Bhagirathi covers upto 193 kilometres and then joins the Alaknanda in Devprayag.
It covers an area upto 6,921 kilometers.
Many other rivers add water to Bhagirathi, namely Kedar Ganga and Kakora Gad.
Other Rivers that add water to Bhagirathi include Jalandhari Gad, Jadh Ganga, Asi Ganga, Siyan Gad, and Bhilangana river.

Alaknanda

The Alaknanda River originates when the two glaciers meet in Uttrakhand.

The following are the key features of the Alaknanada River:

It travels upto 195 kilometres and joins Bhagirathi at Devprayag.
The river covers an area upto 10,882 kilometers.
When the river joins Bhagirathi at Devprayag, they become the Ganges river together.
In Uttrakhand, there are five meeting points where the rivers join Alaknanada called the Panch Prayags.
Saraswati, Pindar, Dhauliganga, and Nandini are the rivers that join from the left and the Mandakini River from the right.

Rishiganga:

The Rishiganga originates from the Nanda Devi Mountains, located in Uttrakhand, and goes through a national park where it meets Dhaulganga West at Raini near Chamoli.

Dhauliganga:

The Dhauliganga rises from the largest glacier, Raikana Glacier, Basudhara Lake in Uttrakhand. This Lake is way up in the mountains at 5,070 meters near Niti Pass in Chamoli district. As it flows down, many other rivers join it, finally meeting the river Alaknanda at the village called Vishnuprayag.

Ganga River System: Origin, Drainage, Tributaries & More

The Ganga River System: The Ganga Originates from the Himalayan mountains and is super important for the people there. The melting snow from the Himalayas forms the basis of the river Ganga. Ganga flows through various states of India, covering some parts of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Haryana.

In this article, we will discuss the Ganga river system in detail. The Ganga River is of great significance to India’s economic perspective.